


Trigger Warning

by nagi_schwarz



Series: Read My Lips [34]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-03
Updated: 2016-04-03
Packaged: 2018-05-31 02:49:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6452470
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nagi_schwarz/pseuds/nagi_schwarz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Written for the comment_fic prompt: Stargate Atlantis, John Sheppard/Rodney McKay, John is afraid of losing Rodney the way he lost his mom. Evan tries to figure out what triggers John's self-destructive irrationality.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Trigger Warning

At first Evan thought it was the Genii who wigged John out. The first time they encountered the Genii and Rodney went traipsing after radiation readings and they stumbled onto the seemingly Amish people’s secret atomic bomb project, the Genii held them hostage, and John - he freaked out. Evan wasn’t as good a lip reader as someone who was actually, deaf, but John was mouthing, “Leave McKay, take me,” over and over and over again.  
  
But the Genii ignored him, because apparently the Genii didn’t believe in deaf people or something.  
  
Luckily, the Genii didn’t keep them hostage, wanting further cooperation (and C4) from Atlantis.  
  
And then the second time the Genii kidnapped them while they were solving crazy puzzles for the Brotherhood of Fifteen, John just about threw himself into the line of fire.  
  
Kolya herded Rodney over to the console to solve the last piece of the puzzle, and John lunged after him. The Genii soldiers swung their weapons up, but then John was pushing himself in front of Rodney, hands moving almost too fast for Evan to read, what with Rodney half in the way.  
  
“Why is he even here? What is he saying?” Kolya demanded.  
  
Evan cleared his throat. This was the worst part of being a professional interpreter. He was duty-bound to accurately interpret what his client was saying, no matter how stupid or dangerous. “He says he’ll solve the puzzle for you. Just let the rest of us go.”  
  
“Dr. McKay is the genius,” Kolya said. “After all, he saved Atlantis. His is the brain we want.”  
  
“John says he’s the better mathematician,” Evan said. He knew that no one in the Pegasus Galaxy was used to Evan being John’s voice directly, so he spoke of John in the third person. “He can solve it faster. And - and he’s a natural gene carrier. He’s more useful for activating Ancient Technology than McKay is.”  
  
“Lorne, shut up!” Rodney snapped. “John, you’re not helping, you’re just going to get yourself killed -”  
  
“No,” Evan cut in sharply, for John. “You have to live, have to survive. You’re more useful to the expedition than I am -”  
  
Kolya sighed and shoved them out of the way, had his own scientist take a shot at the puzzle.  
  
When that scientist died, John literally pushed Rodney aside and started tackling the stones for himself.  
  
Evan caught Teldy’s eye, and she nodded.  
  
“John, no!” Rodney yelled, but it was pointless, because John couldn’t hear him, and even if he could, Evan knew he wouldn’t have stopped. John placed his hands on the console, and there was a hiss as the ZPM was revealed, and Ford took a step off of the grenade spoon.  
  
And the flashbang went off.  
  
And they escaped.  
  
Evan filed that little detail away in the back of his mind: the Genii triggered self-destructive irrationality in John.  
  
And then John kissed Rodney on New Year’s Eve that first year, and Evan reassessed: Rodney triggered self-destructive irrationality in John.  
  
But no, John occasionally demonstrated some survival instincts when Rodney was in danger. If their joint genius was needed to solve a puzzle, John had no qualms about Rodney wading into danger beside him.  
  
...And then Evan figured it out. Whenever they were held hostage, John would immediately offer himself so Rodney could go free. Evan wasn’t sure what it was about hostage situations that made John go out of his head, act to the detriment of himself, the gate teams, and the expedition as a whole.  
  
But there it was.  
  
Hostage situations. So Evan took Rodney aside and trained him extra in using firearms, insisted that Rodney take combat training with Teyla and Ronon (and Teldy started instituting basic field training for all civilians on gate teams, even though Rodney wasn’t on a gate team).  
  
The next time they were in a hostage situation, Rodney managed to throw off his captor before John could do something stupid, and then they were all running for the gate, Evan and Ronon and Teyla laying down cover fire as they went.  
  
Back on Atlantis, Evan saw John safely to his quarters. He passed Rodney on his way to his own quarters.  
  
“He going to be all right?” Evan asked.  
  
Rodney nodded. “I know what to do. Hostage situations always make John --”  
  
“Yeah. Don’t know why, though.”  
  
“I do.”  
  
“That’s good. Take care of him, McKay.”  
  
“Always do, Major.”


End file.
